Dad Comforting His Cat During a Seizure.

Charlie cat having a seizure. He is medicated but he has had a flare up recently. If your cat ever has a seizure the first step is to make sure no other animals are nearby. Sometimes other animals will regard seizures as play or aggression and try to attack them. I rest my hand under his head so he doesn't smack his head and face into the floor or other objects(sometimes he will do so violently) or spring off his feet randomly and smack his head into a wall. Despite my hand being under his head he has never bitten me during a seizure. Even if he did I would rather be bitten than allow him to harm himself. If a cat's seizure lasts more than 5 minutes you should get them to a vet IMMEDIATELY. If your cat has a seizure 2 minutes or less you should still take them to a vet and if possible, record the incident. People often mistake other conditions for seizures (like heart attacks).

More on preventing them from harming themselves. I wouldn't hold them in my arms during a seizure. You may add additional stress. Notice the first thing I did was reach my leg and hand out as a barrier. That's not to say you can't hold them at all though. Especially if they're in a potentially dangerous environment. Or if it's dark and you aren't sure of what's around you.

[BlindCatSvetlana]

So, after Svetlana's passing, I wasn't planning on recording anything for a little while but then this happened last night. When it rains it pours... If you are here sometime in the future because your cat is having a seizure, please read the description of the video as well as this comment. Charlie is doing fine now. He had another seizure not too long ago, so we increased his medication dose. Apparently, that didn't work :(. He's currently on Keppra (levetiracetam) and Phenobarbital so we will have to try to either increase dosage or try something else.

I will update this pinned comment to answer any common questions or concerns.

#1: To pre-empt one question, I know will be asked a dozen times. No, he hasn't been on CBD oil in recent times. He has been in the past and it was ineffective. He is on it currently but it's more just a hope that it could be helping. We have never seen results from CBD. In any animal for any condition honestly. I'm not saying CBD oil is ineffective, but I am saying the marketing hype behind CBD oil is quite powerful. So, I think people should manage their expectations when it comes to CBD oil.

#2: "You shouldn't put your hand near his mouth". I actually hate that this advice is given out by some vets because it tells the human that they aren't responsible if their cat harms itself. The reality is unless you KNOW your cat will bite, you should at least try to do what you can to prevent them from harming themselves. In my case I surround him with my legs as a barrier in case he starts moving away and I lay my hand under his head to prevent him from hitting his head on the ground. ALSO note my hand technique. I'm not lifting his head off the ground. I'm following his head with my hand. This allows me to make sure he doesn't hit his head and it puts my hand in a good position in the event that Charlie starts to turn and I'm in danger of a bite.

#3: At the end of the seizure, you can hear me getting upset, I was concerned for a moment that he was having trouble breathing. I turned his head a little bit to make sure he wasn't pressing his nose against the ground and impeding his breathing.

#4: When I talk to Charlie, I'm not doing it with any expectation that it will help. I'm mostly just upset. People have said talking could excite them further, However I've never seen any evidence that shows how speaking could make it worse. Having said that I think it's best to err on the side of caution and if you speak, do so calmy.

#5: There have been a lot of calls to euthanize Charlie, I mute those people anytime I see them. To those people, would you tell a human they shouldn't live because they have seizures? If he was having them constantly every day we would. But right now, he tends to go months without them then he has a big flare up of 2-4 in a short period. I would never euthanize a cat in that circumstance.

#6: I apologize to everyone who is being respectful in the comments. I won't be replying much beyond what I've currently done. I didn't realize this video would go so viral and get flooded with people being a disappointment to the human race. I'd rather sift through all of that. I will however continue to update this post. Thank you to moderators who have been helping <3

#7: "He needs to see a vet". My wife is a vet. That's why at one point I yelled "Charlie's having a seizure". My wife was in the shower with my daughter at the time though and didn't hear me.

#8: Yes, he is alive. Charlies been having seizures since he was 7-8 weeks old. We were fostering him, and his litter mates and we adopted him because my wife is a vet, and we knew with us he would always have vet care.

[brolywithanairfryer]

I have never witnessed anybody having a seizure, but if I ever walked in and found my cat like this, I would be Terrified out of my mind

[Asignuva]

As an epileptic human, i know that feel Charlie.

[xvor_tex]

The way that cat buried his head between his paws and close to his dad's leg for comfort and the other cat coming in licking him and comforting him.

[hangrypatrick]

The dad's concerned voice tells that he love charles the cat till the end of time

[kyrauniversal]

The fact that your other kitty saw how scared the poor thing was and gave him licks to show that it was all gonna be okay, is what really brought tears to my eyes.

[albertovalcarenghi]

My first cat suffered from seizures, but nothing so severe as this one. Poor little Charlie... your presence and your touch certainly help.

[elineottens]

As someone who studied to be a vet assistant, these types of videos are really important.
You don't fully understand what a seizure looks like until you see it for yourself and it doesn't happen quite often at a vet, mostly at home.
So thank you for continuing to educate me and other students.

[dylan_]

Seeing this poor little cat like this makes me so sad 😢

[ThetherOtherGose]

The fact that poor Charlie was shaking in fear after his seizure is so upsetting to see; I hope he'll be able to recover 💛

[grasshoper]

I suffer from seizures and the comforting you gave him was exactly what I would want. Thanks for being a great pet owner

[JustCallMeDija]

I’ve been having seizures since I was 13. I’m now 23 and seeing animals having seizures breaks my heart… Praying for him and for your family…

[CZCarGuy]

Poor baby, I would tear me to pieces seeing one of mine go through that.

[gawd.]

seizures can be pretty bad, i dont advise picking animals up if they do experience it, but, as an example, this dude did the right thing, comforting the kitty instead of picking it up or trying to make it stand :>

[WelfareChrist]

you really never ever feel as helpless as you do watching a loved one have a seizure, it's an absolutely harrowing experience. This guy did a great job reacting.

[Mista_Cassla]

I had no idea that seizures were so violent 😢

[-jess_]

As someone who plans to study as a vet tech, Im happy i found this. Some things, you just need to see instead of reading it in a textbook

[christopherholley]

As an epileptic I know just how this poor boy feels. My love and prayers go out to you.

[raymondschwartz]

Props for dad remaining calm. It's what he needed.

[hybridtechowns]

As a former cat dad this breaks my heart, but I'm also happy that he has you to care for him. You're doing a great job